The Present Age: Its Beginning Progress And End

Ecclesiastes i:9

The Book of Ecclesiastes is the Book in which the natural man speaks.
The conclusion which the wisest man reached is that all is vanity, and
there is nothing new under the sun. In this first chapter we read of
generations which come and go. The sun rises and goes down; the wind
goeth toward the south, and turneth about to the north again, according
to its circuits. The rivers go into the sea, and to the place where
they come from they again return. All moves in nature in cycles. What
has been is always to be again, and what was done will be done again.

This is likewise true in respect to God's dealings with man and with
the earth. That which has been shall be; and what was done will be
done again.

The future will repeat the past,
As the first, shall be the last;
Ages of change between.

Once the earth was undefiled by sin. It was the Paradise of God. For
a brief period it knew no sorrow, no suffering, no curse and no death.
That is what has been; but it shall surely be again. Creation will
have a second birth, and after its travail pains, death and the curse
will flee away. Once peace reigned, no strife was known and no groans
heard in all creation's realm. That is what has been; it shall be so
again. Groaning creation will be delivered; peace on earth and glory
to God in the highest will follow.

Once man, the first man, unfallen, reigned. All things were under his
feet. That has been before sin stripped man of his inheritance. But
what has been, is that which shall be. The second man, the last Adam,
will appear, and under Him man redeemed will again have all things put
under his feet. What has been in the past shall be in the future.

God executed his judgments in the past. He will do so again. The past
has manifested His power and glory; so will the future. The heavens
will not always be silent as they are now; for "Surely our God shall
come, and not keep silence."

His blessed Son was once upon earth, making known the glory of God in
His Person. That was in the past, and it shall be so again; for He
comes back to the earth once more to make known His glory, so that the
earth shall be covered with the glory of the Lord.

How near, how very near, these things that shall be are! The age in
which we live is the last stepping stone towards the glorious
consummation; and in this age there is but a little step left, and soon
darkest night shall end and give way to the brightest and most glorious
day the world has ever seen. In these studies of Prophecy we shall
first consider the present age, its beginning, progress and end. Other
studies will put before us from the infallible Word of God the coming
glorious consummation and what leads up to it.